I have long been an avid reader of the blog written by Tom Harris, the Labour MP for Glasgow South, who is one of the most personable MPs I know. His writing is candid, insightful and humorous, and the way he writes his blog should be a model for MPs of all parties. It gives you a real feel for what makes the man tick, both as a politician and as a human being.
But a post he has written today particularly deserves wider attention for its honest assessment of an issue which has been in the news of late: teenage motherhood.
He writes:
"I can no longer pretend that the army of teenage mothers living off the state is anything other than a national catastrophe... Such young women see parenthood as one way of achieving a level of independence and self-worth. And they’re right, because that’s more or less what they get: a flat and therefore some privacy, an income for the first time in their lives. And in fact, many of them make a decent job of parenthood despite the awful circumstances. But even they are nevertheless rearing the next generation in an environment where the main adult isn’t working, but claiming."
"People shouldn’t be ashamed of their circumstances, but neither should we avoid making value judgments about others’ choices, especially when those choices result in a greater burden on the state, and lead to the continuation of the underclass. Teenage girls shouldn’t be having underage sex. Why? Because it’s wrong. Teenage girls shouldn’t choose to have babies as an alternative to getting an education and a career. Why? Because it’s wrong. Parents shouldn’t teach their children that a lifetime on benefits is attractive or even acceptable. Why? Because it’s wrong."
In deciding where to proceed policy-wise after reaching these concusions, he says that he intends having a coffee with Frank Field to discus idea for reform.
I also suggest he meets up with Iain Duncan Smith, the author of the Conservative Party's Broken Britain report, as I suspect that IDS - and David Cameron for that matter - would also agree with every one of his conclusions.